House in the Hills

Hollyhock House is a National Historic Landmark and icon, as this was Frank Lloyd Wright’s second project in Los Angeles. Designed in 1921, the house takes its name from the favorite flower of oil heiress Aline Barnsdall, for whom Wright built this residence. Attracting thousands of visitors annually, Hollyhock House is located in Hollywood where thirty six acres of land is comprised of a remarkable combination of house and gardens. A series of rooftop terraces provide stunning views of the LA basin and the Hollywood Hills in addition to major interior spaces that join exterior spaces either by glass doors, a porch, pergola or colonnade. Wright was often absent during the actual construction of Hollyhock due to another major commission of his, the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, and delegated many of the responsibilities to his assistant and son, which made for a slow moving project- much to Barnsdall’s dismay.

Barnsdall was a fiercely independent feminist, a bohemian and producer of experimental theater who envisioned Hollyhock House as a performing arts center of sorts. Legend has it she was so unhappy with the completion of the house- and Wright- she left it the same year she moved in. In 1927 she gave away the house and eleven surrounding acres to the city of LA, where it sat for years. In 1974, a major rehabilitation provided much needed improvements and repairs, and most recently another refurbishment took place, fixing the damage brought on by the Northridge earthquake among other restorations. Scheduled to reopen to the public in May, Hollyhock House- under The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs- is surrounded by a modern theater, galleries and studios, and is now closer than ever before to realizing its original purpose as the centerpiece of a functioning arts complex. Barnsdall would approve.  www.hollyhockhouse.net